


It's Hard to Leave When You Can't Find the Door

by tooshortforthis



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Celebrity AU, F/F, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard Bashing, Swan Queen Week Winter 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9500789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooshortforthis/pseuds/tooshortforthis
Summary: Emma Swan only knows one person at this party, and that is Regina Mills. The same Regina Mills that her entire squad hates. Perfect.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Well this better be a bombass Celebrity AU because I spent way too long with it. It was feuding squads originally, but honestly who knows anymore.

Emma sighed, tapping an absent beat on her crystal glass as she listened to some label executive drone on about a recently stolen talent. Not for the first time, she wondered how she hadn't managed to befriend anyone at this company.

Sensing a break in conversation, she quickly excused herself, citing her empty glass. At least all the old drunkards could understand that.

Caught up with her freedom, she did not realize her tactical error until it was too late. She was leaning on the bar right next to Regina Mills. You had one job, Swan.

It wasn't that she disliked Regina per se, in fact, they'd never even spoken. Their respective squads, however, were a different story. Mary Margaret and David, who were basically the parents of her squad, absolutely detested Regina's entire friend group, dubbing them the “Queens of Darkness”. Emma was of the opinion that the entire feud was a bit excessive, but she wasn't in a position to say anything about it, being the token pop star of the squad. Either way, Emma didn't want to start drama tonight.

For awhile, Regina didn't even notice her, too busy nursing her drink, or glaring away some of the newbies who strayed from their group. In fact, Emma could see the bartender putting the lime in her drink when a brunette curl apparently fell too far into its owner’s drink. Brushing her flawless shoulder length hair out of her chocolate eyes, Regina apparently noticed the person at her right elbow. So close.

“Emma is it? I've heard a great deal about you.” The brunette purred.

“All terrible things I’m sure.” The dry response fell from Emma’s lips before she could reconsider.

“Quite the contrary, you might be the favored,” Regina paused for a moment, smirking as she searched for the word, “princess.”

“I’m flattered.” Emma shifted her weight, waiting for a reply that never came. “I, ah, can’t say the same of you.”

“No, I would suppose not.” The pensive reply was absent of any particular feeling, and Emma was ready to leave the bar without her drink. “Why do you hang out with them?”

She nearly jumped out of her heels, “Excuse me?”

“All of your friends,” Regina’s lip curled up, “act. Besides,” She rolled her shoulders back, turning so that she was completely facing the blonde, “they’re all the children of stars and whatnot, trampolining off their parents into stardom. They didn’t work for it.”

“They’re all very talented.” Emma tipped the bartender, taking a generous sip.

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“Do you need one? They wanted to hang out with me, what other reason would I have?” Emma bit her lip, slightly ashamed of her outburst.

“You’d be surprised.”

Emma sighed, pushing herself off of the bar and grabbing her drink. It had been too much to hope that this conversation would be civil. “Have a nice night Ms. Mills.”

With the speed that her head jerked up, Regina was lucky that it didn't fly off her neck. “You're leaving?”

“We wouldn't want to make a scene.”

Regina stared, lips pressed tightly together, at the blonde for a few uncomfortable beats. Shifting her gaze to her drink, “I apologise.” She mumbled, tracing patterns on her glass.

Emma froze, eyeing Regina with her peripherals. “What?”

“I apologise for whatever insult you perceived from our conversation.” Taking a breath, she rushed on, “It was not my intention to insult you or your friends.”

“Well what was your intention?” Emma released a large puff of air, “because it seemed pretty insulting from over here.”

“I merely wished to point out that your friend choice was unusual.” Emma sagged at her words, pushing herself half-heartedly onto an empty barstool and pulling her drink closer.

“It’s a long story.” The blonde sluggishly swirled the cheap plastic straw around her half-empty drink, pointedly avoiding the other woman’s gaze.

“We’re both here for another couple hours.”

“My previous record label was owned by Mary’s dad.” Even this small admission seemed to beat even more on the star, who sagged further over the bar. Regina couldn’t help but wince at the mention of her creepy ex-fiance. “He asked her to hang out with me, so she did.” Emma took a swig of her drink, gesturing to the idle bartender for another. “And then she kept hanging out with me, and started getting upset if I spent time with someone else, even though she hardly ever paid attention to me.” Regina nodded sympathetically, recalling all too well how demanding the younger girl was. “Even after I quit the record label, she was still there. Telling me whom to date and how to dress and how to live and...” Emma broke off, out of breath and near tears.

“She’s just everywhere, y’know? I half expected her to be here tonight.” Regina’s entire being pulsed with the urge to hug the blonde, but she settled for taking her hand instead, squeezing it gently.

“Miss Blanchard is unused to being denied anything. I tend to find that such an upbringing brings out the worst in people.”

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I was briefly engaged to her father.” Emma let out a watery, hysterical giggle.

“Of course I found the one person at the party who has worse history with him than me.”

“That's not why I told you.” Met with only a raised eyebrow, Regina forged on, “I wanted you to know that you can escape that family. I did.”

Emma's shoulders were trembling ominously, and Regina knew that the blonde already had a tenuous grip on her eye makeup. Ignoring her watch, which was decidedly not showing 10:30, she wrapped an arm around Emma and guided her towards an empty hallway.

“Emma sweetheart,” Regina eyed the pop star gingerly, taking her shaking hands in hers. Instead of calming down, Emma wrenched her hands from Regina’s. Not a second later, a sob escaped the blonde’s throat and she collapsed onto the brunette. Knowing her car wouldn't be here for awhile, Regina steered them into a conveniently placed lounge.

The room was far rattier than the high-class bar outside, but Regina settled on a cheap leather couch anyway, proud of the fact that she only winced once. Now sitting on the couch with the blonde, she was completely at a loss. Experimentally, she began to rub circles on the shaking back, letting out a relieved breath when Emma relaxed into the touch.

“What do you need?”

Emma raised her tear-stained face to look at Regina, something foreign and desperate glinting in her eyes. “Make me forget.”

“No.”

“I know you want me Regina, I've seen you watching me.” Regina’s cheeks cheeks flushed, but she kept her tone even.

“You'd regret it if you slept with me now.” The pout that met Regina’s statement almost changed her mind.

“Who’s to say that I would?”

“Me.” Having apparently given up pouting, Emma sighed over dramatically.

“Fine,” The pop star paused, her crimson blush starkly contrasting dried streaks of mascara, “but will you stay with me?” The question was mumbled so hurriedly that Regina nearly didn't catch it.

“Of course, Emma.” Unable to stop herself, Regina reached a trembling hand up to stroke Emma’s cheek before pulling her into a fleeting kiss. Pulling away, the brunette was unable to stop the infectious smile on Emma's face from spreading to her own.

“What was that for?” Emma's smile was the most genuine one she'd seen all night, and Regina thought her heart might burst just looking at it.

“A promise.” Regina’s grin only grew wider as a shrill tone emanated from her purse. She stood up, leading Emma towards the door. “What did you say your address was again?”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments might be nice...


End file.
